Meet the Team

Partners

  • Title: Sommelier, Managing Partner
    Hometown: Chester, MT
    Fav CH Wine on Tap: 2022 Gewurztraminer

    Some of us have to be talked into the best decisions of our lives. Joel Gunderson was talked into becoming a Sommelier by Chef Aaron Barnett of Restaurant St. Jack so they could open a restaurant together. Beginning with the wine list at Restaurant St. Jack where he pioneered relationships with dozens of local Oregon growers to build his keg wine glass pour program, Joel has led the way in keg wine in Portland.  Since then, he has written, consulted, and managed lists for Oven and Shaker, Roe, Hamlet, Grassa, Glorietta in Jackson Wyoming, Omerta, Pearl Tavern, Tasty, Lac St. Jack, XLB, and partnered with Kurt Huffman on the first and only winery in Oregon dedicated to wine on tap, Coopers Hall.  Through his diverse experience of opening restaurants from 75,000.00 opening lists to simple glass pour lists, he has helped build the particular culture of each space according to the need and concept of the location. His latest endeavor, Heavenly Creatures, an intimate, 24 seat wine bar, which brought Aaron and Joel back together after a 10 year hiatus, earned Best Bar of the Year by Portland Monthly in 2022. When he isn’t writing wine lists, teaching staff about wine, talking about wine with guests, or selling wine on the wholesale market you will probably find him cooking dinner and  drinking a glass of wine with his wife.

  • Title: Director of Winemaking, Partner

    Phil is the owner and farmer at Alexeli Vineyard in the East Willamette Valley near Molalla/Silverton, which serves as both the primary production location for Coopers Hall wines and the place Phil and his young family call home. Phil came into the wine industry through an intense interest in sustainable agriculture with the purchase of his, at the time, overgrown and run-down vineyard in 2007. His property is LIVE certified and creates the foundation of sustainability for the Coopers Hall brand. Low inputs, very limited chemical usage, an integrated pest management strategy, cover crops, solar panels, and bird of prey habitat are all a part of the broader ecosystem on the vineyard. At Coopers Hall, we joke that most urban wineries come about because the winemaker lives in the city and doesn’t want to commute to the valley to make wine, but it’s actually the opposite in our case!

Staff

What makes Coopers Hall an extraordinary place to host an event? In addition to the stunning space, the fantastic food program and the unique wine on tap offerings, our staff provides exceptional hospitality, providing you and your guests with the best experience possible. 

Put a face to the name and learn a little more about our staff!

  • Title: Hospitality & Event Director

    Year started at Coopers Hall: 2014, since the beginning, baby!

    Hometown: SW ‘burbs of Chicago, IL

    Fav CH wine on tap: 2022 Rose of Pinot Noir
    Fav CH dish: So many great ones over the years - the Culinary Team is great at what they do!  

    Weekend Activities: Anything outside: glass of wine in my backyard, biking, kayaking.

    Fav part of your job: I really enjoy throwing parties for a living: seeing people come together and celebrate a job well done at work or friends & families celebrating the wedding of a couple. Bringing people together over a meal is so special to me.

    Desired Superpower:  Teleportation - anyone care to join me for lunch in Paris?

    Actual Superpower: Being the calm in the center of it all, no matter what is going on.

  • Title: Co-Executive Chef
    Year started at CH: 2015
    Hometown: Buffalo,NY

    Fav CH dish: NY Strip

    Early food memory: Making egg in a hole with my grandfather 

    Weekend Activities: Being a Dad. Doing anything and everything with my son.

    Hidden Talent: Carpentry

    What I wanted to be when I grew up: Firefighter

  • Title: Co-executive Chef
    Year started at Coopers Hall: 2017
    Hometown: Boise, ID

    Fav CH wine on tap: All about that Muller-Thurgau or the skin-contact Chardonnay
    Fav CH Dish: Any of our dishes with brie fondue. I can drink that stuff. 

    Early food memory: helping (mainly watching) my grandmother and mom make Thanksgiving dinner; those mashed potatoes shaped me into the man I am today. Also, gizzard gravy forever.

    Weekend Activities: Riding some form of bicycle, either on the road, dirt or gravel. Up on Mt. Hood snowboarding, or at one of my secret mushroom patches in the forest.

    Best part of your job:
    The absolute best part of my job is working with the amazing produce and the bounty from all the wonderful Oregon producers! From proteins, to vegetables, even cheeses, we are extremely fortunate to have such a wide array of wonderful things here in and very close to Portland. It's incredibly fulfilling to thoughtfully source, procure, and cook such wonderful produce and proteins. I also love the fact that we are in the business of making memories for people. I love the thought of someone remembering their wedding day for the rest of their lives, and we play a little part in that memory.

  • Title: Sales Manager
    Year started at CH: 2021
    Hometown: El Centro, CA

    Fav CH wine on tap: Favorite white: Gewürztraminer, Favorite Red: Syrah
    Favorite CH dish: Spending on the seasonal menu; However, I will never say no to our culinary team’s rotisserie chicken

    Early food memory: When I was growing up my dad worked in the fields. My first food memory is of him coming home with the largest freshest watermelons- he would cut them in half and give me the bigger half and a spoon to finish off by myself. 

    Weekend Activities: Spending time at home with my dog Winston and my Husband.

    Best part of your job: It is a toss-up between the Coopers Hall Team, who all are so dedicated to providing a welcoming space, amazing food, and service, all three create the perfect backdrop for the wonderful and special moments that are celebrated with us, and the other side of that coin; the people who's celebrations we get to be a part of, it's an honor to be able to blend into the background and see the joy of the people in our community whose big milestones in life we get to be a part of. 

    Desired Superpower: Flight
    Actual Superpower: My creativity

  • Title: Event Coordinator, Wedding Specialist
    Year started at CH: 2020
    Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA

    Fav CH wine on tap: Pinot Gris for summer, Malbec for winter

    Weekend Activities: I love exploring new parks with my dogs, thrift shopping, bowling and paddleboarding.

    Best part of your job: Working with wedding couples at Coopers Hall - I love listening to their toasts and speeches from their friends and family and getting to hear more about them as a couple. 

  • Title: Winemaker

    Year started at CH: 2023
    Hometown: Aurora, OR
    Fav CH wine on tap: 2021 Alexeli Pinot Noir

    Weekend Activities: Portland Sports Enthusiast and seasonal outdoor adventurer ski, hike, fish, horse riding, and river floating. 

    Best part of your job: I wear many hats. 

    What I wanted to be when I grew up: A job where I get to wear a hat 

As a wedding vendor, in the industry since 2015, I’ve had the unique opportunity to experience dozens of venues throughout the Pacific Northwest. I can say without hesitation that Coopers Hall is my favorite venue in Portland! The team operates with a professionalism and grace that sets each event up for success; it truly feels like you’re working alongside friends- in a space that speaks for itself. I strongly recommend Coopers Hall for corporate events, destination weddings and celebrations that want to take advantage of being in close proximity to Portland hotels & nightlife. 10/10

~ Chas T., Wedding vendor